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Minister for Health Leo Varadkar and Minister for Primary Care Kathleen Lynch have today announced the start of registration for the Free GP Care service for people aged 70 and over, which will commence on August 5th. This second phase of universal GP care extends a GP service without charges to everyone aged 70 years and older. This new measure applies to those aged 70 and over who do not currently hold a medical or GP visit card. Speaking at the launch, Minister Varadkar said: “all 400,000 people aged 70 and over will be able to see their GP without paying fees. It’s an important step because, for the first time, the eldest and youngest in our society will be able to access GP care without being charged.”

The EU is currently hosting an open consultation on the role of research in global food and nutrition security, ending on September 1st

This consultation invites everybody - citizens, stakeholders, and particularly the scientific community - to give their views on ways in which research can contribute to efforts to tackle food insecurity. These will help shape the wider debate, and inform future policy formation. To help direct the consultation, a discussion paper has been created which gives an overview of the areas where European research into food and nutrition security can make the largest contribution. The paper also highlights the fact that with an estimated 805 million people in the world who currently experience chronic hunger, there has never been a more important time to engage with food and nutrition security research.

World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year from 1 to 7 August in more than 170 countries to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world. It commemorates the Innocenti Declaration signed in August 1990 by government policymakers, WHO, UNICEF and other organizations to protect, promote and support breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is the best way to provide infants with the nutrients they need. WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding starting within one hour after birth until a baby is six months old. Nutritious complementary foods should then be added while continuing to breastfeed for up to two years or beyond.

New research project in London to investigate how communities can tackle fuel poverty – the silent killer

New research to be conducted on the issue of fuel poverty will help researchers, policy makers and the third sector to understand how community groups can reach the vulnerable and what potential impact local activities could have. The researchers will investigate the effectiveness of the ‘energy shop’ model, as a response to fuel poverty. An ‘energy shop’, is an energy advice service run by community groups to help local people living in fuel poverty. The new research aims to answer questions such as what kinds of support can be provided effectively through ‘energy shops’ and what actions were taken by those in fuel poverty as a result of the advice they received.

If you or a family member was having a stroke, would you know it? This is the question the Irish Heart Foundation is asking the nation during its annual Act F.A.S.T. awareness week. The F.A.S.T. acronym stands for:- Face – has their face fallen on one side?- Arms – can they raise both arms and keep them there?- Speech – is their speech slurred?- Time – time to call 999 if you see any one of these signs.

Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) with a global incidence of over 500,000 cases and 200,000 deaths annually is the leading cause of mortality and disability in many parts of the world. It mainly affects people in the productive age-group, yet most of this mortality and morbidity is preventable. To draw the world’s attention on effective care and control of HNSCC, International Federation of Head and Neck Oncology Societies (IFHNOS) declared 27th July as World Head & Neck Cancer Day (WHNCD). The National Cancer Registry of Ireland have produced the following infographic on tonsil, tongue and oropharynx cancers.

Public Health England has produced child obesity data by Clinical Commissioning Group

The data tables contain National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) obesity and excess weight (overweight including obese) prevalence data for Reception (aged 4-5 years) and Year 6 (aged 10-11 years) children by 2015 Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) of child’s residence. Prevalence data by CCG are supplied for each NCMP collection year from 2007/08 to 2013/14.

Healthy Food for All have launched a new video series entitled ‘End Food Poverty’

The video series showcases the 10 Community Food Initiatives (CFIs) across the country managed by Healthy Food for All (HFfA) and funded by Safefood. You’ll get a chance to hear from some of the community food champions – workers, leaders and volunteers alike – who are working together to end #foodpoverty and having a very positive impact on the lives of individuals and their communities! Details of all the Community Food Initiatives can also be found on the Health Well’s Physical Activity and Nutrition Intervention (PANI) Tool.

Sugary drinks are being blamed for causing nearly 8,000 cases of type 2 diabetes every year in the UK

A Cambridge University study published in the British Medical Journal shows that sugar-sweetened drinks alone may cost us £206m over the coming 10 years. The study finds that regular consumption of sugar sweetened drinks is positively associated with type 2 diabetes and this finding is independent of obesity status. The association between artificially sweetened drinks or fruit juice and incident type 2 diabetes was less evident. Yet, the researchers found little evidence for benefits of these beverages, and therefore concluded these drinks are unlikely to be healthy alternatives to sugar sweetened drinks for preventing type 2 diabetes. The news comes just days after guidelines were published recommending that sugar should be no more than 5% of a person's diet.

New measures prohibit sunbed businesses from advertising, promoting or offering the sale of sunbed sessions for minimum periods of time

Minister for Health Leo Varadkar has signed new regulations in an amendment to the Public Heath (Sunbeds) (Prohibition on Certain Marketing Practices) Regulations 2015 which he introduced in March this year. These new measures prohibit sunbed businesses from advertising, promoting or offering the sale of sunbed sessions on condition they can only be used for a minimum amount of time. These practices not only incentivise the additional use of a sunbed but actually force the customer to use a sunbed for longer than they might have originally wanted which is not only non-compliant with the Act. These marketing practices were discovered as part of the Environmental Health Services ongoing compliance building and implementation programme of the new sunbeds legislation.